Sanford School of Public Policy
Duke University
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Offering the Flexibility to Specialize
The MPP program offers great flexibility. Students may choose to specialize in a particular policy area or to pursue a more general program. Two-year students have five electives, an internship, and a master's project through which they address specific areas of interest. Close relationships between the Sanford School program and other schools and departments across the University allow students to customize their courses of study.
In addition to the electives offered by the Sanford School, MPP students may choose from a wide array of courses offered by other schools and departments at Duke and by neighboring universities. Many students choose to focus on one of the three policy areas in which the Sanford School has particular strengths: Global Policy, Social Policy, and Health Policy.
Global Policy Concentration
Many of the great issues of the 21st Century are global: AIDS, climate change, trade, poverty and human rights. The Global Public Policy concentration within the Duke Masters in Public Policy Program prepares students to see beyond national boundaries, to think globally and act locally, nationally and internationally. Students may specialize in areas such as (but not limited to):
- International Development
- Global Trade and Finance
- Global Environmental Policy
- Global Health Policy
- Human Rights and Democratization
- Security and Humanitarian Intervention
Requirements
- PubPol 320, Globalization and Governance, usually taken in the first semester, deferring the required Ethics class until the second year.
- Minimum of two global policy electives taken at any of the following schools or institutions.
- Course offered through the Sanford School and Duke Center for International Development
- Courses offered through Duke University departments of:
- Courses offered at UNC, NC State, and NC Central
- Summer Internship related to global public policy
- Masters Project on global public policy issue.
Students in the global public policy concentration may fulfill their internship requirement through the Duke Program on Global Policy and Governance, which includes four study options: Environment and Sustainable Development, Health Policy in a Globalizing World, Human Rights and Humanitarian Assistance or Global Economic Governance and Trade.
Social Policy Concentration
Many important public policy issues concern social problems: welfare, education, crime, childcare and income inequalities. Although these problems are diverse, they have numerous common features. Social issues often affect various elements of society differently, so that analyses must take into account concerns about equity, ethics and politics. Proposed solutions often involve “programs,” which are distinct interventions that can be evaluated rigorously for their efficiency and effectiveness. Further, the implementation of social policy often involves multiple levels of government: local, national and international. Students may specialize in such areas as:
- Education
- Child and Family
- Crime, Law and Deviance
- Race, Ethnicity and Gender
- Wealth, Inequality and the Welfare State
- Urban Development and Planning
Requirements
- Introduction to Social Policy, PubPol 350, usually taken in the first semester, deferring the required Ethics class until the second year
- Minimum of two social policy electives taken at any of the following schools or institutions.
- Courses offered through the Sanford School
- Courses offered through Duke University departments or program of:
- Courses offered at UNC, NC State, and NC Central.
- Summer Internship related to social policy
- Masters Project on social policy issue
Health Policy Concentration
The Health Policy concentration within the MPP Program introduces students to key domestic and international issues in health policy, including the impact of social determinants of health, organization and financing of healthcare delivery systems, technology and health, and health and human rights. Students choosing this concentration can focus their studies on domestic or global health policy in their choice of electives by taking courses offered at the Terry Sanford Institute, Duke Global Health Institute and other Duke departments.
Requirements
- PubPol 325, Introduction to Health Policy, usually taken in the first semester, deferring the required Ethics class until the second year
- Minimum of two health policy electives taken at any of the following schools or institutions
- Courses offered through the Sanford School and Duke Global Health Institute
- Courses offered through Duke University departments or schools of:
- Courses offered at UNC, NC State, and NC Central
- Summer internship related to health policy
- Masters Project on a health policy issue.
Students focusing on global health policy may fulfill their summer internship requirement through the Duke Global Health Fellows Program as one of four study options as well as a 10-12 week internship at one of many international health organizations in Geneva, Switzerland.
“The Sanford Institute faculty aren't just academics. Within a few moments of talking with any of your professors, you begin to realize that they are drawing on a vast wealth of actual policymaking experience.”
Rob Lalka, MPP ’08